Revisiting Fawlty Towers.

[Johnboy]

Watched it all with the kids too about six months ago.  they roared with laughter

I think The Hotel Inspectors is one of the best things ever, I never tire of it.

[Jockice]

Wedding Party?

I've never thought that was shit. Anyone care to explain why?

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

I don't think it's that bad, either. I mean, you get to see Connie Booth in her undies, don't you?

[Ambient Sheep]

FFS do you ever stop?!  :-)

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

Well, you do.
Tell you what, when I've got a bit of time, I'll write non- Connie Booth mentioningly about aspects of FT what bother me.

[Bad Ambassador]

It was the first episode to air in the mid-90s Sunday night repeats, which was the first time the series had been shown in six-and-a-half years apart from a single one-off, so I've very fond memories of it for that reason. The final shot is obviously perfect, but the whole thing is the farce honed to the point of perfection.

[Bad Ambassador]

In The Psychiatrist, no one reacts to the notion of a Welsh restaurant.

[Gurke and Hare]

The Wedding Party is clearly the weakest episode, but it's far from shit.

"Since I come here from Spain, leaving my six brothers and four mothers..."

[oy vey]

Since coming... <slap>

[shh]

they invented it...

It was closer to the spanish civil war than it is to today, makes you think doesn't it? about all those poor rats.

[Jittlebags]

Baseeel...

[neveragain]

I've never thought that was shit. Anyone care to explain why?

I said that episode as I've heard lots of people call it boring. I don't mind it, quite enjoy all the repressed sexuality.

[The Lion King]

He turned up on an episode of some cBeebies show the other day, and I was surprised at how (relatively) sprightly he looked. By the look of him, he would only have been in his 80s at a guess (just checked, he's 90!), which means he would have been in his 40s during Fawlty Towers (just checked, 47!) - mad, I'd have had him down as late 50s if not 60s.

He plays Old Jack on Old Jack's boat! Which is on CBeebies pretty much every day

[Utter Shit]

That's the one! I actually had to check it was him because it didn't seem plausible that he'd be in such good nick over 40 years later.

[Replies From View]

Been a while since I've assessed them, but if I agree with my former selves The Builders might be the worst episode, or The Anniversary.


None of them are "shit" though are they?  I mean this is a world in which 'Two Pints of Lager and a Red Dwarf VIII' was made.

[Dusty Substance]

Everything involving Ken Campbell

Agreed. Roger's a great character. Aside from Mrs. Richards (and possibly Bernard Cribbins) he's my favourite one-off character from Fawlty Towers.

The Wedding Party probably is the weakest episode but it's still far better than almost any other episode of a 1970s British sitcom. That bit when Manuel is drunkenly saying to Basil "I love you", did I imagine it or did Alan break the fourth wall?

Remember that guest in A Touch Of Class who keeps politely hammering home that the reason why they were running late was because they didn't get their alarm call? As a kid I thought that was Michael Palin.

Don't know if this has ever been discussed on an FT documentary or Comedy Connections type talking head show, but have Cleese or Booth ever discussed the fact that they were a married couple writing a sitcom about a couple who should never have got married and the husband is utterly petrified of his wife? Might the Basil and Sybil dynamic been drawn from their own relationship? They were all but separated by the time the second season was aired.

[neveragain]

Remember that guest in A Touch Of Class who keeps politely hammering home that the reason why they were running late was because they didn't get their alarm call? As a kid I thought that was Michael Palin.

At first glance I thought that the medallion man (Nicky Henson)'s mother was Michael Palin. "Mother Johnson, Mother Johnson, come out come out wherever you are..."

[oy vey]

Agreed. Roger's a great character. Aside from Mrs. Richards (and possibly Bernard Cribbins) he's my favourite one-off character from Fawlty Towers.

The Wedding Party probably is the weakest episode but it's still far better than almost any other episode of a 1970s British sitcom. That bit when Manuel is drunkenly saying to Basil "I love you", did I imagine it or did Alan break the fourth wall?

The 4th wall thing strikes me as a mistake by the actor but it surprisingly works. Very dangerous those 4th walls - they can fuck up everything. Basil almost does a 4th wall when he reacts to Lord Melbury's order of dry sherry in A Touch of Class. "What else?" At least it feels that way to me.

Roger in The Anniversary used to annoy me but I've grown to love people like that. Now he would be the kind of guy I would hang out with at a party, feeding him with drink, goading and riffing with him (I'm sorry to admit). If you ever see two irritating cunts at a party...

I never got the "Read a lot of Oscar Wilde, do you Rog?" line by Basil until I heard Oscar Wilde's last words - "This wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. Either it goes or I do." Clearly I don't read a lot of Oscar Wilde. There's a wealth of references in FT to philosphers, authors, poets, historic battles and Henry Kissinger.

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

There's a wealth of references in FT to philosphers, authors, poets, historic battles and Henry Kissinger.

And you can see Connie Booth in her undies in one of the episodes.

[oy vey]

Aren't you dead?

[neveragain]

The Oscar Wilde line is just a way of saying "You're not very witty", isn't it? Doesn't need any background knowledge.

[oy vey]

The Oscar Wilde line is just a way of saying "You're not very witty", isn't it? Doesn't need any background knowledge.

True but Rog mentions his money being on the carpet going before the wallpaper hence Basil's response.

[neveragain]

Oh right, very good. I had forgotten that bit.

[oy vey]

Oh right, very good. I had forgotten that bit.

Yeah, I imagine Rog doesn't read Oscar Wilde but has the odd line quoted to him while he's drunk down the pub.

[pigamus]

The Builders might be the worst episode

Get well soon.

[Jittlebags]

Very little flab in the scripts. Actors great. The only thing that does for it are wobbly sets and props.

[Jockice]

Then there's the whole 'I see, it's my fault' bit when Cleese returns to the hotel.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Fawlty Towers is absolutely packed with brilliance. An embarrassment of riches. Basil furiously shaking his fist at a plant pot, for example, is a sublime piece of physical comedy.

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

Aren't you dead?

John Cheese diplomatically advised to excise somewhat prosaic line from " The Kipper and The Corpse" episode.

[sick as a pike]

Fawlty Towers is absolutely packed with brilliance. An embarrassment of riches. Basil furiously shaking his fist at a plant pot, for example, is a sublime piece of physical comedy.

That's his transferred anger at not being allowed to punch Lord Melbury isn't it?
It is indeed packed with marvellous things. I was just remembering Manuel in The Kipper and the Corpse getting exhausted and climbing into the not-huge laundry basket. Basil asks Polly to get him out.  Polly glances inside.
He isn't in there.
Yes, he is.
He isn't.
He is. Look for him.